Have you ever experienced having two of your friends fight among themselves with the innocent you being stuck in the middle?
What did you do?
Did you side with either of them? Neither? Or maybe, you acted as a mediator to have them make up because it was getting tiring seeing them hissing like cats and barking like dogs whenever they meet?
As a sorry excuse of a hooman being with a limited number of close friends, I can confidently say that I have played the role of the choices above for a few times. And believe me, although they are my friends, it was tiring to get stuck in between them. As a solution when this kind of problem arises, I always choose the [fourth] option.
And what is that [fourth] option?
Pretending that I didn't know them.
Lmao.
It was really the safest and less stressful for me. And besides, it's their problem and not mine. I might listen to both sides and throw some shitty opinions, but that's the extent of it. I'm a bad friend, I know but at least I'm not picking sides.
And why am I even talking about this?
Although this author have previously mentioned on [Chapter 3] that there might be some cameoing on my part, the question actually had something to do with the situation that Jayse had found himself in.
He might've looked indifferent, but Jayse was actually worried about the 'visitor' that he left inside his sister's room.
He knew that it wasn't the plan but the situation didn't let him do what he needed to do. While he was sneaking in with everyone busy with Juris, he never expected that there will be some maids cleaning his room who remained oblivious to what was happening outside.
Thus, Jayse quickly switched the plan and tossed the unknown boy inside his sister's room, creating a new cliche situation for her.
He knew that the girl wouldn't be pleased. But her room was much more safer rather than putting him in somewhere random where there's a big chance that he might be found by the maids. And since there were no maids in Juris's room, he put the boy in there.
Now, the only problem is if the boy had woken up or not.
With furrowed brows, Jayse closed his eyes. Too occupied at the thought of his sister being alone with a stranger inside her room. Seeing that there wasn't any commotion, it should be safe to assume that nothing bad had happened right?
Unbeknownst to the young boy, his instructor had been noticing that he hasn't been paying attention to their class. Rather than getting irritated at the fact that she was being ignored, the old female instructor was actually amused by the fact that the indifferent boy could actually make such a troubled expression.
It was a refreshing sight.
She sat by his side, silently observing him from the corner of her eyes while he was answering his workbook. Normally, Jayse would immediately finish his workbook exercises and be done with it. But it's a little different for that day.
Being Jayse's instructor for a year, the old woman had never seen him this perturbed. But despite being a strict instructor, the woman is also a mother and a grandmother. She couldn't ignore her student if he's making that kind of rare expression.
So as an act of consideration, she ended the class early.
Jayse had no clue of what was going on through his teacher's mind. He's too occupied to even notice that classes had ended early. After saying goodbye, he quickly went to Juris's room.
Standing by the door, Jayse stopped on his tracks and tried to listen in.
There was nothing but silence.
He knocked. And finally, there was a response from his sister.
Jayse pushed the door open, and inside the room were the two children. Juris was sitting nonchalantly on a chair, staring at the unknown boy with that all too familiar indifferent expression. But the weight of her gaze is heavy.
Jayse immediately knew that his sister wasn't in the best of moods.
Switching his gaze on the other occupant of the room, Jayse's crimson eyes landed at the smiling boy.
'What did he do?' He asked himself.
Although his presence was already known by both of the children, none of them acknowledged it and were too focused on their staredown. Is Juris angry because the boy is inside of her room and not his? But that's why he hurried to meet his sister to explain the situation.
She didn't need to get angry at the injured boy because it was his fault that their plan had failed in the first place.
Well, they call it a plan but it might have been better if they just outright told their parents that an injured young boy is found inside their premises. But Jayse had a feeling that he needed to keep it a secret. And he did, with the help of his sister.
Jayse was never an awkward person when it comes to socializing with other people. He often comes off as rude or nonchalant -even to the point of bluntness-, but he was never seen as awkward. Especially when interacting with his family.
But, oh the irony.
The ten-year-old young boy had found the silence a little awkward while standing in the middle of two stubborn children fighting with their gazes. It was a given that they knew of his presence but Jayse never really knew how to break the ice between them and have himself included in whatever conversation they're having.
If there is.
It was like there was a spark of lightning clashing in between the two of them, not wanting to lose to the other.
If you could use your imagination to picture out what was currently happening like it was a comic panel or an anime scene, then I applaud you for having such a strong imagination.
Sighing, the young boy palmed his face before proceeding to occupy the chair that was just beside his sister's.
"Sis, it's not good to stare at someone like that."
With his monotone voice, Jayse spoke and covered his sister's eyes with his hand. The action made Juris flinch, even letting out an almost inaudible gasp. Then he turned to the unknown boy, checking his condition from head to toe.
"I'm sorry about my sister. She didn't mean to be rude."
"Hey, it's him who is rude and not me. How dare you take his side?"
Juris lightly slapped her brother's hand away and narrowed her eyes. How could he say that she's the one being rude when she's the victim? Jayse didn't know what he's talking about.
"Haaa." He sighed at his sister's betrayed look. "I'm not taking anyone's side. How could you leave someone who is injured to remain in this state?"
"Ah. Don't worry. I was indebted to you, so even if it hurts, I won't mind." The boy with the golden colored hues hugged himself and wore a pitiful expression.
Seeing this, Juris's eyebrow can't help but twitch, suddenly guarded at his sudden 'meek countenance'.
'What is this sea horse playing at now?'
"Sis, what did you do to him?"
"I did nothing."
"What do you mean 'nothing'?" Gold tones glistening in tears, the unknown boy sniffed. "You forced me. And it was so sudden."
She blinked. "Ah. Yeah." Juris immediately agreed. "I forced you inside my closet."
Jayse shifted, on his face is the obvious question 'Why?'.
"Martha came. I have to hide him." Then she shrugged. "You have a way with words, sea horse. If we're a little older people will misunderstand you. Don't go spewing out doubled-meaning things."
"But," the boy trailed off, hand reaching out touch hers that was resting on the table. "I like misunderstandings."
Juris didn't bother reacting to that. She just grabbed his hand, yanked it towards her and bit on it. Hard. The young stranger gasp in shock, body recoiling at the sensation of pain flowing right through his arm.
"What the hell?" He muttered, pulling back his arm with a grunt.
Golden orbs scanned the reddened area with an obvious teeth marks around before he shifted his gaze towards the nonchalant girl watching him with a deadpan gaze.
"You perverted bastard. I wonder who your guardian is." He heard her say.
"Eh~ What do you mean perverted?" The boy tilted his head and smiled mischievously. "I have said nothing of the sort and I don't know what you're talking about."
"This piece of sh-"
"Sis."
The tone of Jayse's voice shifted, so she pursed her lips in an instant. "You better not continue what you're about to say. If the maids heard you, they'll go ballistic."
"But-"
"We can't leave him unattended when he's injured like this." Her brother continued, gesturing to the injured stranger.
Turning back to the unknown boy, Juris's expression got even more bitter at the sight of him beaming like he had won a war. Although Jayse is right, it still irked her that the boy had that smug look on his face.
"Let's clean him up first." The young lord of Wynter declared.
The unknown boy was patched up by the brother and sister duo. Of course, Juris thought that it was her chance to discreetly exact her revenge by pressing on his wounds from time to time to give him a sting. It was really childish, but what could she do? She's still a child in body after all.
"My name is Lorcan."
The boy introduced himself after he got changed into the clothes lent to him by Jayse. They have the same stature since they were still children, so the black haired boy's clothes fit him comfortably.
"I'm Jayse." Upon saying his name, he turned to his sister only to find her looking outside, unamused. "And this is my older sister, Juris."
Lorcan could only smile at the silent treatment. It was his fault to begin with.
"Once again, I want to thank you for helping me."
Showing the proper manners he had learned in his young life, Lorcan bowed gracefully, uttering his words with sincere intentions hoping to reach the girl who had been silent for a while now.
"Now that the introductions are done, I won't bother asking how you ended up in my room when it's not the plan. But instead, who are you, really?"
Lorcan was rendered silent for a bit before that smile returned on his face. He calmly put down his teacup that Martha had prepared while he was hiding inside the bathroom.
"I'm pretty sure you're a noble, judging by your attire. So? How did you end up here?"
"I see. You're going straight to the point."
"I can't see any reason why we should take any more detours." Juris shrugged, resting her cheek on her palm and staring straight at him.
"Come on. We're just kids. Let's not pretend to be some kind of shady mysterious character and just clear everything up with a lighthearted talk." The girl grinned lazily. "I will judge whether you're dangerous or not depending on your answer. Besides, you're being kept inside our residence. My parents aside, me and Jaye should atleast know what happened. Who knows, maybe you're someone we shouldn't get involved with. I won't condone anything that can harm the people in this estate."
Her gaze turned rather colder at her last statement. She talked big for someone who can't use magic at all. But Juris had decided from the beginning, she will protect the Wynter family in the real Juris's stead. No matter what it takes. Screw the gods or whatever they are.
Jayse on the other hand was someone who was quick to adjust. Honestly speaking, he was really getting surprised at the changes that he's seeing with his sister, although there's not much. But instead of thinking about the differences from before and now, he just decided to accept things as it is. If this was Juris's way of coping and recovering with everything, he will be more than willing to oblige with her own ways.
Besides, she's rather cool despite having that similar indifference. His sister is really the best.
"You don't need to worry about anything."
After a few seconds of observing her cold expression, Lorcan finally spoke.
"Just as you said, we're just kids. I'm not someone involved in something illegal. I'm just caught up with a fight regarding some inheritance. You know that it's a normal thing between nobles. I won't bring harm to your family. I swear that upon my name."
Eventhough he had a point, there was still a room of doubt in the girl's mind. He looked like he was telling the truth but at the same time, he wasn't telling them everything.
But that's alright.
She had no plans of further involving herself in his matters. It's enough that she knew he wouldn't bring some kind of disaster.
"Your name, huh... What's your full name?"
"I prefer to be someone who is a 'worry-free shady mysterious character' for now. So I won't tell you my full name until I can return this favor."
"Is there even someone who is worry-free and shady at the same time? That is such a contradiction."
"Well, that's me."
"I'm calling you 'sea horse'."
"Then I'll call you 'mosquito'. Calling you a vampire is not really insulting. Look at this bite mark, so savage. A human mosquito who does not drink blood."
"A sea horse who only cares about his balls."
And the two had started their rather violent banters. Jayse could only sigh. For two years, no one has ever broken that indifferent expression of his sister. This is the first time that someone could rile her up as easy as breathing.
But...
"Lorcan..."
The young lord muttered to himself, finding the name rather familiar. His voice went unheard by Juris but Lorcan, who has sharp senses heard it. Seems like the younger brother is more quick witted. He might discover his identity sooner than expected.
---
A week had passed since Lorcan had started to stay secretly inside Juris's room.
There were a few times where they were almost caught by Martha's unexpected sharpness, but thankfully, what they fear for had never really happened.
Have you ever picked up a stray cat and took it home? Hiding it from anyone and feeding it secretly. Yours truly had done it multiple times and boy, it was rather exciting yet fearful at the same time. Fear because of the fact that you might get caught by your parents and get scolded for doing it without their knowledge. That's what the Wynter single borns are doing.
It feels like they were hiding some secret pet from their parents. But Lorcan is not a pet.
A 'sea horse', by Juris's description.
During mornings, Lorcan will have the room to himself seeing as the children have classes in the morning. Although there are a few episodes where he had to go outside via the veranda because the maids will be cleaning, no one could really come as close to finding out about his existence other than Martha.
The night time is rather entertaining.
Because that is the only time that he will have someone to talk to, which is the girl and sometimes, Jayse will drop by before going back to his own room. Although Lorcan's conversations with Juris are not what you can really call conversations because of their tendency to get physically violent with each other, he was having fun.
Not that he was a masochist or anything.
"Ack! I give up, Anasthasia!"
Lorcan, who is struggling in the girl's grip called out, continuously tapping her arm. They were currently on the massive bed, and like usual, the two hard headed children could never hold a proper conversation without insulting the other, thus ending up with the current situation at hand.
"I told you, if you're going to call me 'Anasthasia', call me 'Ana' instead, you sea horse!"
"For your information, I have a name as well. I'm not a sea horse!"
The girl is giving the poor Lorcan a tight headlock, her legs were preventing him from moving his limbs at all.
It was weird, having a girl cling to him from behind like a koala. The lack of personal space between the two of them is enough to make one uncomfortable. But he had to admit, it was a formidable battle tactic. He can't even think of a way on how to get out of her vice-like grip. She looked so fragile so the unexpected strength is a surprise.
Unfortunately, Juris, who heard the all too familiar name uttered by his mouth, decided to tighten her grip a little bit more. Just enough to restrict his movements. Although it was her name from her previous life, the name 'Anasthasia' sounds too old fashioned for her. Thus, she preferred being called 'Ana' instead.
But the bastard of a child who goes by the name Lorcan had discovered her dislike for the name and started to call her with it just to annoy her.
"I'm a proud fan of [Undertaker]. Let me teach you how [WWE] deal with jerks like you."
Growing up with a grandmother who is a big fan of [WWE], I can say that I got influenced by her somehow. Every night, before going to sleep, she would switch the channels to where she can watch those bulky men, making chairs fly, pissing off each other and throwing one another on the ring. While my grandmother is there, grunting as if she was the one hitting the enemy of her favored wrestler. It was an amusing sight, actually.
I can assure you that Juris was also influenced in the same way. Although it was not by her grandmother, but someone else. She took in a deep breath, as if preparing herself on what she was about to do.
Lorcan furrowed his brows, not exactly understanding what she meant by her words. But his instincts told him that he was in for another round of suffering if he let her continue.
"Aah! I told you I give up, Ana!"
He flailed on his spot, his hand accidentally hitting her face. The impact made her let go of him and fall on her back on the bed. Lorcan turned stiff. It wasn't his intention to hit her. Especially her face.
"Hah. You're really annoying."
As if she had suddenly lost all energy, she grumbled, massaging the bridge of her nose which took the most impact. The boy let out a relieved sigh, finally out of that suffocating grip.
"Mind you, you're annoying as well."
Occupying the empty space of the bed, Lorcan laid on his back as well.
"I just took a bath and now I'm getting sweaty."
"Who told you to do that to me?"
"I just know I had to make you suffer somehow." The girl retaliated, and he rolled his eyes.
Taking the towel resting on the bedside table, Lorcan handed it to the girl next to him. Juris took the piece of cloth and started to dab her forehead and neck with it. While doing so, she wasn't able to notice that the boy had been staring at the faint dark bruises on her neck.
The dark bruises that his hands left when he was strangling her during the time he met her inside her room.
"Ana, stay still for a bit."
He said before leaning over her laying form and reaching out his hand. His hand moved her black hair to the side and gently cupped her neck, thumb faintly brushing against the dark marks. At his action, Juris can't help but raise a brow, wondering what he was trying to do.
"It's strange." She heard him mumble.
"What is?"
He pulled back his hand with a shake of his head. "Nothing. The bruises aren't disappearing."
"But they are? Although it takes a bit of time."
"No. That's not what I mean."
She just grew more confused and decided to drop the topic. Meanwhile, Lorcan just stared at his hand. This wasn't the first time. For the past nights, when Juris is already asleep, he will cast a basic healing spell on her. But no matter how hard he tried to heal the bruises, it won't just work.
And that's what is strange.
Thankfully though, Juris was able to make an alibi on how she had gotten the bruise. Her reason was very far from believable but the people around her accepted it nonetheless. Whether they really took her words as it is or not was another reason.
The sound of wings flapping broke him out of his mind trance.
"Lory, Vulcan is here."
Lorcan raised his gold toned hues, greeted by the sight of Juris on the veranda, standing in front of his huge pet eagle who serves as his messenger. He never noticed that the girl had moved out of the bed. The dark haired boy stood still for a moment, watching the smiling girl as she reached out for the bird. With the cool breeze and moonlight showering down on the two, the color of Juris' crimson eyes stood out beautifully. If he didn't know that she was an obnoxious brat, he might've assumed that she is indeed the frail girl that the rumors made her to be.
The eagle whipped it's head away when the girl tried to pat it.
"As usual, you're such a snobby bird, aren't you?" The delight Juris felt upon seeing the bird had disappeared the moment it showed it's snobby attitude. "Just like your owner."
Lorcan's chuckle was heard as he approached them. The girl could only watch in a deadpan as the huge eagle nudged it's head on the boy's cheek, wanting some physical affection. He patted the bird's head, swiftly taking out the letter attached on one of it's legs.
While Juris was making her nth attempt of touching the huge ass bird, Lorcan was busy reading the contents of the letter.
"I will be able to go back after two more nights."
He suddenly said, which made the bird and the girl stop on their tracks to look at him.
"My aide had told me that it will be alright to return."
"Oh. That's good then." She replied after a while with a nod of her head, seemingly satisfied. "I finally won't be able to see your face anymore."
"Aren't you going to be sad?" Lorcan teased, following her movements with his eyes as she walked back inside the room.
Juris halted her steps. She slightly turned her body, looking back at him without any expression.
"Is there any reason for me to be sad?"
The red irises resembling ruby gems held no emotion within as it stared back at his golden colored orbs. Really, no matter how many times he had seen it, Juris's blank expression sometimes send chills down to his spine.
"That response is rather cold."
"Yeah. It's as cold as my heart."
"I couldn't agree more. If you're not cold hearted then you would be sad at the upcoming departure of your friend." He followed after her after he sent off Vulcan.
"If I'm cold hearted then I wouldn't let you sleep on the same bed, have my brother lend you clothes and give you meal three times a day with snacks to booth."
Shrugging her shoulders, the girl grinned.
"Now, before I really turn cold hearted and kick you out the bed, sleep. If you don't want to sleep, then let me sleep."
Juris had decided that it was just too cruel to let a kid like Lorcan sleep inside a drawer full of dresses. She's not that heartless so he told him to share the bed with her when they were sure that no one else will be coming inside. It was always a given that Lorcan will be out of bed before any of the maid come inside during the morning.
"But this will be our last night together." He pouted, getting on his side of the massive bed. "Can't we make this something to remember?"
"Like hell I care." Juris grumbled. "Don't keep spouting things that others might misunderstand."
"I think it's okay if they misunderstand."
"What the hell, dude." Juris deadpanned. "That's gross." She hugged herself and acted as if she is shivering.
At her disgruntled countenance, Lorcan merely laughed and laid on his back, draping the blanket on his body. It didn't take that long for Juris to finally fall asleep when they both got silent. Hearing her soft snores, the boy craned his head to the side, watching her tiny back.
It was only for a week, but he had to admit, his time spent with the Wynter single-borns were really fun and relaxing. He was able to be the child that he truly is, even for a short moment. And although he knew that returning to his homeland means going back to the days where he had to be so wary of his surroundings because he might get killed any time, it's because of that situation that he had managed to meet Juris and Jayse.
My precious friends.
With a satisfied smile, Lorcan closed his eyes.
Soon, he will wake up from this dream.
===
Little Tidbits:
- Jayse is so done being the mediator between his sister and Lorcan. So he just let them be and only step up when it's really necessary.
- When she first met Vulcan, Juris is so starstrucked that she never paid attention to anyone else than the bird.
- Lory became Lorcan's nickname, courtesy of Jayse.